Olson did get to make his MLB debut in 2004, but at the same time, his window of opportunity with the D-Backs slammed shut. Matt Kata and Scott Hairston moved past him on the depth charts and Sergio Santos and Jerry Gil made noise in the minors. Arizona outrighted him in the offseason and he decided to become a free agent instead.

2004

Olson's stock slid quite a bit a Triple-A in 2003 after a great 2002 AFL campaign -- a woeful .686 OPS at a hitter's paradise like Tucson won't cut it. Not only that, with Alex Cintron effectively kicking Tony Womack out of town at Arizona, and Sergio Santos coming on strong in the lower minors, Olson's window of opportunity with the Arizona chain may be closing fast.

2003

If Tony Womack hears footsteps playing short for the Diamondbacks, they belong to Olson. Arizona's premier shortstop prospect hit a commendable .273-10-64 in 126 games a Double-A El Paso in 2002, then he stole the show in the Arizona Fall League, going .374-1-18 with a .906 OPS in 31 games. Olson's 24, and at this point, he needs some major league playing time sometime in 2003. That's unlikely to happen on Bob Brenly's team unless Womack gets hurt for an extended period, but if he gets the call during 2003, he's got keeper league potential.